


One plus one equals chaos

by StillNotMeShh



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Baby stories, Best Friends, Birthday, Birthday Cake, Birthday Party, F/M, First Impressions, First Meetings, Harvard University, Lucia and Rita just love to make fun of Rafael, Lucia is in the house!, Midterms, Rafael and Rita are the cutest besties and nobody can convince me otherwise, Study Group, Studying, Studying Sessions, developing a stong friendship, frat party, young Rafael Barba, young Rita Calhoun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:33:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28861842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StillNotMeShh/pseuds/StillNotMeShh
Summary: We all know Rafael Barba and Rita Calhoun. Two of the most incredible lawyers in New York, Harvard Law Alumni. Their sass, elegance and constant teasing is part of their courtroom show.But what we don’t know is that behind the smirks, the laughs and glances, there are cups of coffee, long nights, drinks and an old friendship.
Relationships: Rafael Barba & Rita Calhoun
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25





	1. Teamwork

**Author's Note:**

> hi! welcome to "One plus one equals chaos"  
> A couple days ago I had the idea to write a fic about Rafael and Rita's adventures in Harvard and hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do. We don't have much info about Rita or Rafael at University so hopefully this can help us to fill some gaps (even if it's not canon)   
> This is the first chapter of maybe 10? I have already outlined, but if you have suggestions or ideas please let me know! I will try to upload chapters regularly.  
> I will upload the tags as I post more chapters too.

It was 8:15 am and the class was full. Constitutional Law with professor Miller was the first course Rafael had at his new University.  
Harvard Law, he was proud, he had worked hard to get in, and in the end, got a full scholarship, which was fantastic considering he didn’t have the money to pay for one of the most expensive tuitions in America and didn’t want to spend the next 20 years working to pay off his school debts. He already had so much from the previous four years and he also wanted to help his mom so, yes, it was awesome to have a scholarship.  
The professor seemed like a nice guy, organized, highly recommended, an amazing resume… but with a very boring voice tone, it was almost like listening to a lullaby. He had to shake his head a couple times just to keep himself focused on the professor’s detailed introduction.

“Excuse me, miss?” Mr. Miller interrupted his monologue and the whole class turned around to look at the student wearing sunglasses indoors standing by the door. “It’s 8:20 am. Class starts at 8:00 am sharp. What’s your name?”  
The girl took off her sunglasses and looked at the older man with a confused look.  
“Rita.” She said with a neutral tone.  
“Your last name miss, when I asked your name, I meant your last name.”  
“Well, then you should’ve said so...” the professor, who had taken a piece of paper and a pen to apparently write down her name was surprised by her response and looked at her with anger.  
“I won’t ask again miss.”  
“Calhoun. Rita Calhoun”  
“Ok. Class, listen up. Next time I ask for your name, you say it. No hesitation, I won’t deal with this kind of attitude, you are not high schoolers anymore. Punctuality is very important to me and if you are not here at 8:00am it would be best if you stayed outside. Understood Miss Calhoun?”  
“Yeah, sure. Can I sit now?”  
“Be my guest” the older man replied sarcastically.

Rafael learned something that morning: arrive early and avoid people like her if he wanted to pass. Poor thing, little did he know.

“Ok, so as you know by now, the course it’s divided into two sections: “Structure” and “Individual Rights”. By the end of the course, you’ll have to present an essay. I don’t care about the length, I care about the content. You will be free to choose one of the sections and write down everything you’ve learned about it. You can include extra information, resources, whatever you need… just show me that you’ve learned something”

Easy. Rafael was very good with essays and if he had the entire semester to finish this assignment, with enough prep and a detailed plan, everything would be perfect.

“You’ll have a partner, and both of you will have to work equally, the grade won’t be individual, so you better present a good work if both of you want to pass. Since none of you know each other, or at least, I’m assuming you don’t, I will assign the partners at random. If I call your name, you’ll say a number and I’ll give you a name from my list. Understood? Let's begin.”

Partners. “Why do I need a partner if I can work perfectly on my own? Rafael thought.” He couldn’t change the rules so he was praying to the omnipotent forces to assign him a nice partner to work with, preferably someone who knows about teamwork and was easy to work with. His grade on this course depended on it, and he couldn’t risk losing his scholarship.

“Barba. Seems like you are the next one son. Pick a number”

He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t even hear the numbers the other students had said.

“26.” he guessed.   
“That one is already taken. You weren’t paying attention were you? try another one. This is your last chance, otherwise I will assign you someone”

At the moment his mind was blank, so all he could think about was his birthday October 10. 10/10 the perfect grade, he used it as his lucky number for almost everything, and it always worked out well… until now.

“10”  
“Ok. So your partner is… Calhoun?”

Wait… Calhoun? As in the girl with the sunglasses?! He should’ve used his mom’s birthday.

“Miss Calhoun? You’ll work with Mr. Barba here, on the project.” She didn’t even move, she simply just looked at Rafael and nodded to the professor before gathering her things and leaving the room like the other students had done after they were assigned a partner. “Good luck son” Mr. Miller as he offered him a sympathetic look.

That’s it, he was screwed. He could already picture himself working on his own and practically begging her to help or at least share her notes or thoughts with him.  
It was the perfect start to the most challenging three years of his life.

“Umm… Calhoun? I mean- Rita!” She turned around at the sound of her name.  
“Oh… umm… Barba right?”  
“Yes. Yes! I’m Rafael Barba, nice to meet you. Seems like we are partners.” He extended his hand and she took it reluctantly after a moment.  
“I know, it seems like you chose me. Nice pick”  
“Well… I guess you could say that”  
“Ok?” She took out a pen and a piece of paper from her bag and wrote something very quickly but with a very nice and elegant handwriting. “Here’s my name, number, dorm and the days AND hours I have free to work on this project with you. We have class next week so you have until then to tell me when and where you can meet me to work on this, I have no time to lose. I’ve already read the syllabus and a couple of the books the teacher has on the plan… I think it would be best if we worked on the first section, Miller is going to start explaining that first and it will give us an advantage. For next week I need you to bring your notes about all the books from that section and any extra info, I have mine already prepared so I assume you have done the same. You seem like a nice responsible guy. After class we will show Miller our work and ask for feedback. If we stick to a plan everything will work out perfectly. Understood?”

Rafael was in shock for many reasons but mainly three. Number one: he didn’t know a person could talk that much and THAT fast. Number two: she already had a plan! She read the books and knew exactly what to do, he was completely lost compared to her. And number three: WOW. He was wrong, she was a good partner, or at least seemed to be.

“Barba. Hey!” She snapped her finger trying to catch his attention  
“Huh? Umm… yes, yes understood.”  
“Let me know if it’s too much, I can always ask for another partner or work on my own I really don’t mind.”  
“No. No, NO! I mean… it’s ok, everything is perfect and I will have everything ready for next week. The notes, the books, the info… everything”  
“And don’t forget to let me know when you have time to start working on this. Try to stick to the days and hours I wrote down for you, I have a very busy schedule and no time to lose.”  
“Su- sure! No problem Rita.”  
“Good.” She nodded approvingly “We’ll get along well Barba, I can feel it.” She extended her hand and he took it almost immediately. “Nice sweater by the way.”

Oh this was going to be fun.


	2. It’s Friday night Barba!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s Friday night aaaand our first week at Harvard! Harvard Law! You are not going to party?!” She seemed genuinely surprised with his response and he wasn’t sure why she considered “partying” an important part of their Harvard experience.  
> “I- I haven’t been invited to any party, Rita”  
> “C’mon, Barba! You don’t have to be invited!” she said, highlighting the invited part. “You’ll come with me. It’ll be fun!"

He arrived early. Rita had said 3 pm sharp at the library entrance. Considering she was late to their first class, he was not so sure if she would arrive on time. But after that quick monologue about the importance of her precious time, Rafael decided it would be best if he arrived at least fifteen minutes early.

He had spent the last couple nights mostly researching, reading, and summarizing. Rita had said she already had everything ready, so he couldn’t disappoint her. Luckily, he had found all the books he needed at the library, which meant he could save the cost of buying them.  
He also discovered that if he wanted to stay awake, he needed caffeine, lots of caffeine. He was sure his roommate (and the people who lived on the floor underneath them) already wanted to throw him out of the window for pacing around his room all night, but he couldn’t help it! It was his way of making the ideas flow (it was also probably because of the caffeine too, but those minor details can be ignored).

2:50 pm and still no sight of her. ‘It’s only been five minutes and it’s not 3 pm yet, so I can wait’ he thought as he sat on a nearby bench and continued to wait.

Maybe it would be best if he reviewed his notes for a while, or he could start reading his book for his Civil Procedure class. Either way, he still had time.  
It was 2:59 pm and he was looking around in case Rita showed up.

“Barba! Let’s go!” The feminine voice calling his name made him look up and he noticed that Rita was already entering the building.

He rushed behind her and noticed she arrived at 3:00 pm sharp. That was impressive.  
They found an empty table and started spreading all their notes, books and some extra information they considered important to enrich their essay.  
One thing that made Rafael curious was the fact that his books had the library sticker on them, but hers didn’t, which could mean one of two things: she borrowed them from someone or she bought them.  
Rita’s notes were… beautiful to say the least.. Her handwriting was majestic and everything was placed carefully inside her binder. She was apparently also a graphic learner because she had different kinds of diagrams to explain different topics. On the other hand, Rafael’s notes were… legible and that was the most important thing. He used an excessive amount of post-its to mark important things and to avoid highlighting the library book, and the ones that were written down on paper were very organized so it shouldn’t be a problem.

“I have a calligraphy book I can lend you in case you want it,” she said, trying to hide her smirk.  
“Sorry… my handwriting is…”  
“A mess?”  
“Yeah, a mess.”  
“No problem, but you should really try to improve it at least a little bit. The good thing is your opponent won’t be able to read your notes on trial.”  
He laughed at her comment, but made a mental note to work on his handwriting.

Their work session was scheduled from 3 pm to 7 pm. They worked very efficiently and noticed they were an excellent team.  
Rita shared her ideas and points of view with Rafael and vice versa. Rafael read Rita’s notes and, in case he had more information about any of the topics, he added a post-it mentioning it. Otherwise, they wrote it down on their “research” list.  
At one point, they got hungry and Rita suggested they should eat some snacks. Rafael offered to buy some, but she said to check in her purse. She had a bag full of cookies and other goodies they could share. They weren’t technically allowed to eat in the library, but the cookies were the perfect size to be tossed inside their mouths in one quick motion so no one noticed (looking back, he realized this is how his habit to toss food inside his mouth started)

“Ok,” Rafael said, closing one of his books, “I think we have everything outlined.”  
“Yeah… let’s check to see if we have read all the books on the syllabus...” She grabbed her list and a pen “Theory of Enumerated Powers and the New Deal Crisis?”  
“Check.”  
“Taxing and Spending?”  
“Check.”  
“Post-New Deal Approach to Commerce Power?”  
“Check.”  
“Your extra info and my extra info?”  
“Check and check.”  
“The index for our essay?”  
“Ummm… yes, here. Check!”  
“The questions for, ughh, Miller?”  
Rafael chuckled at her comment, it was clear she didn’t like the man.  
“The questions for, ughh, Miller are ready, so, check.”  
“Then we are done!”  
Rafael checked his watch and noticed they still had twenty minutes to spare. “And we still have time! I should probably get going, I still need to review some things for Monday…” he said as he gathered his things and stretched his legs a little.  
“What do you mean review things for Monday?! It’s Friday night!”  
“And?”  
“It’s Friday night aaaand our first week at Harvard! Harvard Law! You are not going to party?!” She seemed genuinely surprised with his response and he wasn’t sure why she considered “partying” an important part of their Harvard experience.  
“I- I haven’t been invited to any party, Rita”  
“C’mon, Barba! You don’t have to be invited!” she said, highlighting the invited part. “You’ll come with me. It’ll be fun!”  
“Umm… I’m not sure Rita I- I don’t want to be a bother and I really have some things to do…”  
“Listen to me, I won’t take no for an answer. I’ll go to my dorm, change into something nicer and I’ll pick you up at 9:30. The party will probably start at 11:00, but seems like you will need to warm up before so…”  
“I’m not good at athletics, Rita.”  
Rita couldn’t contain her laugh and Rafael was sure the entire library heard her. She pinched his cheek. “You cute little innocent thing.”  
“Ouch!”  
“I meant you need some drinks before the party, Barba… DRINKS! Be ready at 9:30. I’ll drive”

So he did as she instructed. He took a shower, found the nicest clothes he had, styled his hair and brushed his teeth (he did this a couple times just in case he got lucky with someone. What did you expect? He was shy and innocent sometimes, but not a saint.)  
At 9:30 pm, he heard a car parking outside followed by a horn, and got his wallet and keys before going downstairs.

“Barba, what the hell are you wearing?!”  
“What?” He looked down to check his clothes, “This is my nicest sweater!”  
“A sweater?! We are going to a party, not to church!” Rita opened her door and stepped out of the car. She was wearing high waisted shorts, boots and a white blouse with her hair styled in a half up… very 90s. “Cmon, let’s find you something else.”  
“What’s wrong with my sweater?!”  
“Shut up and walk.”

When they entered his small shared apartment , Andy, his roommate, didn't miss the opportunity to take his shot with her.

“Save it!” She said before Andy had even opened his mouth “I don’t do blondies.”  
“Lucky bastard, Barba” he mumbled in response.  
“Ohh you would looove to know, right, blondie?” she said and Rafael chuckled at his roommate's surprise look.

“What was… that?” Rafael finally asked when they were alone in his room. “Andy is a nice guy, you know…”  
“I don’t do blondies, ” she repeated. “Unless I’m drunk… then maybe I would consider it.”  
“You are FUN, Rita Calhoun.”  
“And you barely know me, Barba.” she replied with a smirking “Now.. let’s see what we got!”

They spent at least 45 minutes trying to find an outfit that Rita approved of. Finally, she chose jeans, a nice shirt, sneakers and a couple gold chains he had for “special occasions”.

“This is a special occasion, Barba!”  
“A frat party?!”  
“Your FIRST frat party!”  
“I’m not sure if _La Virgencita de la Caridad del Cobre_ would approve of this.”  
“Put it on, ok? It looks nice.” He hesitated but finally nodded. She smiled proudly “Ok now, I’ll wait for you downstairs while you get ready.”

Rafael changed into his new outfit and posed a couple times in front of his mirror before leaving his room.

“Now that looks SOOO much better, Barba!”  
He playfully posed a couple times before opening the door on the passenger side, which made Rita laugh.  
“Ok, I’m ready to go,” he said, fastening his seat belt.  
“Umm… one more thing,” she said looking at him  
“What?”  
“You need…” she ruffled his hair a little bit and then smiled. “Now you are ready”  
“I liked my hair,” he said, pouting playfully.  
“No, you didn’t! Now, let’s go, we are already late.”  
“Rita?”  
“Yeah?” She replied without looking while starting her car.  
“Thank you.”  
She looked at him and offered a smile. “That’s what friends are for, right? Now let’s get you drunk!”

It was one of the best nights of his life, and he remembered every second of it.  
At least every second before his third beer… After that, he remembered nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think about this chapter? Did you catch the gif reference?  
> Rafael Barba was a nerd and now I have proof.  
> Right now he's all shy and reserved, but we'll slowly see how he turns into the sassy ADA we know and love.  
> La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre (Our Lady of Charity) is a popular Marian title of Virgin Mary known in many catholic countries, but especially in Cuba, soooo as a good catholic boy, he sure has his own medallion.   
> Next chapter will be posted on Wednesday and I'll give you guys a hint: midterms.  
> Let me know what you think in the comments! See you next week!


	3. Flashcards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We are a great team, Barba, why not use it for our own benefit?” She had a look Rafael knew perfectly by now, her “I have a plan” look. Sometimes it was a good plan, sometimes it was a mischievous one, but this time, it was an excellent plan and Rafael was happy.

Their project was going fantastic, they had almost everything ready. Rafael and Rita scheduled their meetings every Friday from 3-7pm, just like the first time. The only difference was that they didn’t go partying afterwards... well, most of the time.

“I reviewed your initial work and I have to say that I’m impressed. Your observations and questions were on point. I have to ask… whose idea was it to include the “Post-New Deal Approach to Commerce Power”?” Mr. Miller asked, looking between two of his most promising students.  
“Rita had the idea of including it in order to add cohesion between the different topics…” Rafael began.  
“But it was Rafael’s idea to use it as the center for one of the main points of our essay, which allowed us to analyze the entire system in a much more precise context.”  
“I’m truly amazed by your work. I don’t want to be indiscreet, but other students have been asking for advice and feedback on their work and… well, let’s just say theirs have high school quality compared to yours.” Both friends shared a look and tried to hide their excitement in front of their professor-they had to look professional. “I can not wait to read your finished product. Well done.”

Rafael and Rita thanked their professor and left his office without making any gesture that could reveal their excitement and pride. They managed to keep straight faces until they left the building.

“HE SAID WE HAVE THE BEST WORK IN THE ENTIRE CLASS!” Rita finally screamed once they were far enough not to be heard by anyone.  
“WE DID IT, RITA, WE DID IT!” Rafael hugged his friend. “And the best part is… we still have plenty of time to finish! We’ll definitely get the highest grade. I have zero doubts.”  
“I’m sure, Barba, I’m sure.” She said while sitting on the grass. “Now we can focus on midterms.”  
“UGGH! Don’t even mention it, please! My head hurts just thinking about how many books I have to read and all that summarizing!” Rafael was organized and overall an excellent student, but he was not going to lie: law school was not a joke, and the pressure was really high. Not to mention he didn’t have many friends yet, just a couple of guys here and there- Andy, who was mostly a moron, but a very funny one, and well, Rita.  
“I’ll tell you what,” Rita said while sitting straight so she could look at him. “We have the same courses right?”  
“Yes…”  
“The only difference is that we have different professors.”  
“Umm… you could say that, yes.”  
“So, we can study together!”  
“Really?”  
“We are a great team, Barba, why not use it for our own benefit?” She had a look Rafael knew perfectly by now, her “I have a plan” look. Sometimes it was a good plan, sometimes it was a mischievous one, but this time, it was an excellent plan and Rafael was happy.  
“So, we could share notes and books and teach each other?”  
“Precisely!” She said, standing up and offering him a hand to do the same. “Besides, it would be perfect because we can use some of the books I have and then you wouldn’t have to borrow them from the library and use copies.”

The more Rafael worked with Rita, the more he learned about her and her personal life. She was not the type to share her story with others, but for some reason Rafael was still trying to understand, she felt comfortable talking to him.  
That’s how he discovered that she was an only child like him and that she was… well, you can say her family was wealthy. So she had no problem with buying all the textbooks she needed or wanted. In fact, she had her own mini personal library at her dorm. Her car and her constant nights out had a perfectly reasonable explanation: she had the money.  
The sad part was that her family always tried to solve everything with money and she resented that. Rita told him that she didn’t have the best relationship with her parents, she loved them, but sometimes they believed the best way to raise a child was giving them the most expensive items they could afford and taking them on expensive vacations to the most exotic destinations.  
With that background, one would assume she was a spoiled brat who always got whatever she wanted. WRONG. Rita was the most humble person he had ever met, she never looked down on him and even helped him with whatever she could. If it was within her power to make it happen, she didn’t even hesitate. Yes, she was used to fancy dinners, expensive clothes and her own luxuries, but whenever they were studying at Rafael’s, she happily helped him with the food. They went grocery shopping together, she shared her books and other supplies, and he really appreciated that. And whenever he could, he offered to help with whatever she needed, including, learning new recipes to impress the guys.  
Their friendship was full of kindness, joy and reciprocity, each of them doing whatever they could within their power for the other, without expecting anything in return, and that made it special.

“So, what are the modalities of interpretation?”  
Rafael blinked a couple times to keep himself awake. “Textual, structural, historical, precedent, ethical and…”  
“And?” Rita looked at him expectantly. “Do you need more coffee?”  
“Yes, please” he answered with his face on the table. Rita poured him another cup before asking again. “The last one! Textual, structural, historical, precedent, ethical and…”  
“Pragmatic.”  
“Yes! Thank you. Your turn.” She handed him the flash cards they’d been using to study concepts and important definitions.  
“Ok… umm, let’s see… this one. Three functions of the constitution. Go.”  
“One: establish the three branches of government-legislative, which includes the house of representatives and the senate who are tasked with creating laws, executive, which includes the president who carries out federal laws and recommends new ones, and judicial, which includes the supreme court, who interprets the laws and decides cases involving states rights.Two: divide power between federal and state governments. Three: protect the individual rights of the citizens. ”  
“You are on fire, Ms. Calhoun” Rafael said with a proud smile on his face.  
“Thank you. Thank you. I’ve been studying… what time is it by the way?”  
“3:47 am and counting”  
“We should probably go to sleep. I can feel Andy’s anger all the way here.” Rafael laughed and nodded.  
“He’s probably used to it by now. But it’s good for him. Maybe he’ll learn something from our method.”  
Rafael stood up and stretched a little bit before starting to gather his things.  
“I should probably get going. It’s late and we can still study this again tomorrow morning,” Rita said as she began to do the same.  
“It’s late, and there’s no way I’m letting you walk back to your dorm alone in the middle of the night. I’ll take the couch, you can use my bed.”  
“Are you sure? It really is ok. I can walk, it would take maybe 10 minutes, Barba.”  
“I’m sure. C'mon I’ll find something you can wear.”  
“Thanks, Rafael.”  
It was the first time Rita had used his name and it was a weird moment for him. He was used to only being called Barba by now. “Hey! I think it’s the first time you ever said my name instead of Barba”  
“Yeah, well, I wanted to try it out.”  
“How was it?”  
“I like Barba better.”  
“Yeah, me, too. Besides, I’m preparing you for the future.”  
“So considerate!” He said, sighing dramatically.

The next morning, Rita went over to her dorm to change into new clothes and take a shower. She and Rafael had agreed that they were going to keep clothes and supplies at the other’s places in case it was too late for either of them to go back to their own, especially if it was her. Rafael knew there were nice boys on campus, but he didn’t know everyone. Rita was his best friend, more like a sister by now, and he would never forgive himself if something happened to her because of some stupid boy. So if he had to take the couch every once in a while in order for her to be safe, he was going to do it without hesitation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter explored a little more about their friendship. Honestly I don't knnow if it was too much? but I included that last part about the clothes and all because I have a friend, I met in college and we have that. Sometimes after late parties, he drove me home and since he lives too far away, he stayed at my place and had breakfast with my fam the next morning. So I guess I'm kind of projecting? But it kinda suits for the plans I have for other chapters.  
> Let me know what you think in the comments! And I'm so sorry for not updating on Wednesday, that's why I uploaded 2 chapters today, hehe.  
> FYI Next one includes Lucia.


	4. Visitors, cake and... Rapha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Basically she was saying how sad she was because she was so far away… and my birthday… and more sadness… and she misses me....”  
> “Your birthday is coming up?!”  
> “It’s in a couple of weeks, so you could say that-” He was interrupted by Rita smacking his arm.“Ouch! what was that for?!”  
> “Your birthday is coming up and you didn’t mention it?! Barba! How am I supposed to plan a party for you in less than two weeks?!”

“Yes, _mami_... Of course I am, _mamá_!.. Sorry, sorry I didn't mean to shout... Ok... Ok.... _te quiero_ … bye, mom.”

Rita and Rafael were at the latter’s dorm working on their essay when the phone rang. He rarely got any calls; most of the time it was just some girl asking about Andy or complaining about him not returning their calls. But this time it was different; it was his mom, Lucía Barba.  
Lucía tried to call every two weeks just to check on him. He was her only child so of course she worried. Also, Catalina missed him, so the few minutes they could talk were precious.  
Apparently they were discussing something really important, or maybe even upsetting? Rita was sitting on the couch trying to read Rafael’s facial expressions and noticed the voice speaking over the phone was very loud, sounding almost irritated. Her Spanish was not very good, so that was all the information she could gather.

“Well… how’s your mom?” Rita asked while tossing a cookie.  
“Did you hear that?”  
“Well…yeah. I’m sure your neighbors could hear it, too.”  
“Ugh, gimme a cookie…” Rafael said while flopping onto the couch next to Rita and sighing dramatically.  
“If it makes you feel better, I didn’t understand a thing. I’m almost fluent in French, but Spanish was not my best subject in school.”  
“Basically she was saying how sad she was because she was so far away… and my birthday… and more sadness… and she misses me....”  
“Your birthday is coming up?!”  
“It’s in a couple of weeks, so you could say that-” He was interrupted by Rita smacking his arm.“Ouch! what was that for?!”  
“Your birthday is coming up and you didn’t mention it?! Barba! How am I supposed to plan a party for you in less than two weeks?!” She stood up from the couch and started pacing around the room. It was one of the habits she learned from Rafael, they walked to make the ideas flow. “I have a friend who can rent us her house and it has a pool so we can use it if you want…”  
“Rita...” Rafael said as he tried to get her to stop talking.  
“... and I have another friend who works at a bar… He can send me some numbers so we can order all the drinks and food for a better price…”  
“Ritaaaa…” he said a little bit louder this time in another attempt to get her attention. .  
“... Oh! and the cake! Well, I’m not sure if it will be necessary ‘cause it’ll be casual, but we can have one for us. Maybe Andy would like some, too? Let me ask him. Andy!”  
“Rita, slow down!” He said when he finally managed to grab her by the shoulders in order to stop her from making a hole in the floor with all her pacing “Breathe. First of all, it’s fall. Second, I’m a Latino. I won’t be going into the pool, I would just freeze my ass off. Third, it’s not like I have a bunch of friends to invite, so we don’t need catering. And fourth... cake sounds really good so you should call your friend and ask if she can make a chocolate one.”  
“But, Rafael…”  
“Also, I don’t need a big ass party. We can go to a bar, drink a couple of beers, maybe dance. I can invite some of my other friends and that would be more than enough.”  
Rita picked up the phone. “Are you sure? If you let me use the phone, I can call my friend real quick, you know? I have her num-” stopping when Rafael took the phone from her. “Hey! I was using that!”  
“Rita, please. Please, please, pleeeeease promise me you won’t do anything crazy.”  
“Umm…”  
“Please?”  
“Ugh fine!” she said with a roll of her eyes, “But we will go out. And we will dance. And you’ll drink at least 4 beers.I don’t want you to pass out after the second one like at your first Harvard party.”  
“I promise we will dance, we will have cake and...ey! It was not the second one, it was the third!”  
Both laughed and then went back to working on their project .

One week before his birthday, he got another call from his mom and this time, she had news.

“So, she’s coming?! What about the party?!” Rita asked, genuinely concerned because their celebration was apparently at risk.  
“Yup, she’s coming, but no worries ‘cause she’ll be here this Friday.”  
“But this Friday is October 3rd.”  
“I know and she knows, but she’s a teacher and she has a parent meeting on Friday the 10th. Also, she has a friend who's coming to visit some family here in Boston, so she offered to drive her here, too.”  
“Oh, that’s fantastic! I’m glad you’re going to see your mom before your birthday.”  
“Yeah, me, too. She’ll probably make me food for the rest of the month, though.”  
Rita laughed at the image of Rafael trying to fit all the food inside the mini fridge he had in his small apartment. “Well, I’m sure you’ll share,right?”  
“Of course I will! My mom is a much better cook than I am.“  
“ Where is she going to stay?”  
“Umm…I dunno, maybe at her friend’s place? why?”  
“So then where are you going to sleep? At her friend’s place, too?!”  
Rafael shrugged. “You know I’m not unfamiliar with couchsurfing so…”  
“No way!” Rita insisted as she started gathering her things.  
“Wha- Where are you going?”  
“I’m going to my dorm. I’ll call my dad. He has a friend here who has an empty apartment that they said I could use whenever I wanted. So we could pick up your mom from your friend’s place and you guys could stay there for the weekend. That way you will have a kitchen for her to make all the delicious food we’ll eat for a month and privacy as well. My dad won’t mind, his friend won’t mind, and I certainly won’t either, so... ”  
“Rita, please, you don’t have to do that. My mom and I will be perfectly fine.”  
“But I want to. Consider it... your birthday present.”  
“Rita, I- I don’t know what to say. ”  
“You don’t have to say anything. And don’t worry, I’ll make sure everything is ready for the weekend.”  
Rafael hugged her. “Thank you. I mean it, thank you.”

Rafael sat on his couch and once again thanked whatever omnipotent force paired him up with Rita during class. They’d been friends for less than 4 months, but somehow it felt like they’d known each other for a lifetime. They trusted each other and cared for each other as if they were siblings. He was sure he didn’t even trust Alex that much. He hoped their friendship would last for many more years.

“Ok, let’s see… so this is the kitchen, the bathroom is over there, the bedrooms are upstairs and each one has it’s own bathroom, too. The house is completely equipped so you won’t need anything more than groceries for the day you guys will stay here… and Rafael and I went grocery shopping yesterday so you will have all you need!”

When Rita said she had a “small apartment” that she could use whenever she wanted, Rafael thought it was something similar to their dorms, maybe more like his apartment back home-small living room, even smaller kitchen, a couple of rooms, and bathrooms.  
He should have considered her concept of “small” was very different from his. THIS COULD BE CONSIDERED A MANSION!  
Maybe not a mansion, but it was definitely three times bigger than his apartment in New York. Rafael knew his mom was as impressed as he was, maybe more. First, he had called to say that he rented an apartment for them (after a couple days of insistence, Rita accepted Rafel’s offer to pay a small fee for the place), then he showed up at her friend’s house with a girl, driving her own car, and then told her they went grocery shopping together. He was sure she was already making wedding plans for them, which were definitely not happening.

“Rafi, this place is wonderful!” Lucía said, looking around and admiring the beautiful and spacious kitchen. “The kitchen is so big!“  
“Well, _mami_ , we have Rita to thank because this is technically her place.”  
“Rita, _mijita_ , thank you so much!” Lucía said while hugging her so tightly it practically took all of her breath away.  
Rita, who was not used to parental affection, was surprised with how affectionate Lucía was with her son and in general.  
“Don’t even mention it, Mrs. Barba”  
“ _Ay, por favor_! Call me Lucía”  
“Ok, Lucía,” she said, making the older woman smile in delight.. “I better get going, though. I’ll let you guys get comfortable and I’ll be back on Sunday to drive you back to your friend’s place, Mrs. Barba. I mean, Lucía.”  
“Wait, are you leaving now?” Lucía looked at her son with surprised eyes. “Is she leaving now? She’s not staying? _Dile que se quede!_ ”  
“Mom, please, I told you, she’s not my girlfriend, she’s a friend, and she is being nice to me.” Rafael said, trying to keep his voice low and cool in front of Rita. He knew his mother’s real intention.  
“Don’t you use that tone with me, _mocoso_ ,'' Lucía said, smacking her son upside the head. Rita chuckled at her actions and Rafael just glanced at her as his mother continued speaking.. “But, _mijita_ , aren’t you staying for dinner? Please, it’s the least I could do after all you have done for my Rafi. Besides…” she said, getting closer to her and almost whispering, “I need you to tell me how he's been behaving this past few months.”  
“ _Mami_!”  
“Don’t you “ _mami_ ” me! I need to know if you’ve been behaving. You barely talk to me and I need answers, Rafi!”  
“Oh, I can give you all the answers you want, Lucía” Rita said and both ladies laughed at Rafael’s death stare.

Dinner went fantastic. For them, not for him. They mostly spent the time making fun of him and laughing at Lucía’s stories about baby Rafi.

“And then… he said he was ready to go, but he had his underwear on... over his pants!” Rafael was sure he had never seen Rita laugh so hard during the past few months, not even when she was drunk.  
“Ha. Ha. Can we move on, mami, please?”  
“No, no, no, Barba! Let your mom continue! Lucia, please, proceed.”  
“You are enjoying this, aren’t you, Calhoun? Do you want some paper and a pen to write down all the stories, too? Ouch!” Lucía smacked her son’s arm and gave him the classic “If you say another thing like that, _mocoso_ , I’ll hit you with the pan” look.  
“Don’t worry, Barba, I have a good memory and I won’t forget a single detail,” Rita answered with a mischievous smirk on her face.

After spending at least 40 minutes trying to convince Lucía that they were not together, and that they were not going to get married and have beautiful babies named after Rafael’s relatives, the older woman finally gave up and accepted the fact that they were just friends, an excellent team, and they enjoyed each other’s company.  
Rafel was surprised by how well Rita was getting along with his mom. Lucía adored her, and she already considered, and treated her, like a daughter. She appreciated everything Rita was doing to help her Rafi and knew she was being sincere with her actions. The older woman was also happy because now she had someone who could look after her son and even gave Rita permission to smack him if he was being rude or lazy.

The weekend went by extremely fast between talking, cooking, eating, laughing, singing and even dancing. Rafael missed his mom, she was always there for him whenever he needed her. Lucía and Catalina were the two most important women in his life. He couldn’t wait until Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks when he would be able to go back to New York and spend time with his favorite ladies.  
On Sunday, Rita drove Lucía back to her friend’s place and talked with her the entire time. This time Rafael was also part of the conversation, though not as the main topic. They talked about college, their project, and the future. Lucía was happy because she knew her son had found a friend for life.  
After long goodbyes, tons of tupperware with food, promises to keep in touch, and many, many tears, Rafael and Rita drove back to campus.It was now only a few days until his birthday and they already had a plan. They were just waiting for the day to arrive.

Rafael woke up with a headache and to the sound of someone knocking on his door. He tried to stand up but his legs felt like jello and his vision was still blurry. “Just a second. I- _mierda mi dedo_.” He hit his finger on the bed’s corner. After a couple tries, he finally managed to reach the door.  
“Morning, birthday boy! Gosh, you look awful” Rita said, entering the room with a white box in her hands.  
“Rita, what are you doing here? It’s so early in the morning,” Rafael asked with a slurred voice.  
“Early?! It’s 2pm, Raf.”  
“Two- two pm?!”  
“Yes! I dropped you here at 5am, after we left the bar.”  
“The bar?”

Oh yes, the bar! Rafael’s birthday was on a Friday and after many days of deliberation, they decided it would be better to go celebrate on Thursday, considering they didn’t have classes on Friday and thought the bar would probably be less packed that day.  
Rafael invited Andy and a few other friends, and Rita of course invited her friends, too. They left campus at 9pm and went to a club in the city so they could dance, drink, and have fun.  
Blurry memories from the previous night went through Rafael’s head: they were dancing, they had shots, he kissed somebody… one of the girls Rita invited? One who was already there? Or was it a boy? Both? He couldn’t remember. All he knew is that it was fun.

“How are you so awake? I feel like I got hit by a truck,” he said, stretching his sore arms and legs.  
“I dunno… experience, maybe? Or perhaps it was the water I told you to drink but refused saying you were fine.”  
“I don’t remember anything about water.”  
“Of course you don’t. I’m surprised you are alive, though. You drank a lot last night. I’m proud of you” Rita said with a smile.  
“Yeah, well... look what you turned me into, Ms. Calhoun,” Rafael said, making her laugh.. “What’s in the box?”  
“Ahhh!” she carefully removed the lid and smiled “Happy birthday, Rafa! It’s chocolate cake.”  
“Awww, Rita…” he hugged his friend before taking a closer look. “Rita?”  
“Umm?”  
“It says Happy Birthday, **Rapha**.”  
“Wha- Lemme see… Oh! Well, my friend is a baker not an orthography expert, Rafael. I should have told her to put Barba on it.”  
“I don’t mind. It’s perfect. Thank you, Rita. I really mean it.” Rafael hugged her again and kissed her forehead.  
“You always mean it.”  
“I know… but today I really, really mean it.”  
“So you didn’t mean it before?!” She asked, looking at him with a dramatic offended face.  
“Shut up, Rita! I want to eat my cake.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know but I just love Lucía so much.  
> Hope you guys enjoyed this one! Let me know in the comments!  
> I already have the next two chapters ready and next one will cover a very important topic.  
> See you next week!
> 
> special thanks to Bri for being so nice and always checking the chapters before I post them ♥

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you guys think in the comments and as I said if you have ideas or suggestions let me know!


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